


More Than Black Coffee

by arch_cape522



Series: Flufftober 2020 [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Coffee Shops, Developing Relationship, Flufftober, Flufftober 2020, Flustered Alec Lightwood, Insecurity, M/M, Magnus Bane Being Magnus Bane, Tags Are Hard, soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26804266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arch_cape522/pseuds/arch_cape522
Summary: Prompt#1: Coffee Shop AUAlec should have known there was more than black coffee at a coffee house. There was coffee and then there is Magnus Bane.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Flufftober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954840
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	More Than Black Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovelies! These are my flufftobers. I'm a bit late on posting but I hope yall enjoy them regardless. I'm going to post this as a series to make it easier for myself and others who want to read one part rather than trying to go through the different chapters. It will mostly be Malec but I have some Maia/Izzy ones too! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it!

As Alec walked into the coffee house, his senses were overwhelmed by the bold smell of grounded up coffee beans. It was early to be out and about on campus on a Saturday morning, but Alec wanted to get to the coffee house first to find a table before it became packed full. 

Walking over to a table in the back, Alec set his bag down to claim his spot before walking up to the counter to place his order. As he got closer to the counter, he noticed who was behind the register and froze: _Magnus Bane_. 

Alec stared for a brief moment noticing how beautiful Magnus looked this morning. Alec has seen him around campus and has a couple of classes with him. Alec had only talked a few times with him, and much of it had to do with school. However, one time, they bumped into one another in the hall, causing Magnus books to fall. It was an awkward experience, and all Alec could remember was blushing furiously and tripping over words, especially when the other called him handsome. 

Standing there still frozen, Alec never thought that Magnus would be a barista. He always pictured Magnus working in a clothing store because of how fashionable the man is. Magnus’s impeccably dressed, his nails always matched his clothing, and even his hair was perfect. Not standing there a moment longer admiring Magnus’s looks, Alec continued his way up to the counter, so he didn’t get embarrassingly caught staring. 

"What can I get you, handsome," Magnus smiled once Alec approached the counter. He was completely aware that Alec was staring, but he didn’t want to embarrass the other. 

"Can I get a medium black coffee and a cheese danish," Alec responded. _Handsome_. Alec thought. Maybe he calls everyone that. 

"Anything else," Magnus asked while pulling out a medium-sized cup and filling it to the top with freshly brewed coffee, then moving to grab and warm up a cheese danish. 

Alec shook his head and watched as Magnus moved around behind the counter while humming. It was all Alec focused on for a few seconds before Magnus was once again standing in front of him, handing him his order. Alec quickly paid for his beverage and food, thanking the other. He made his way over to his table, sat down, and promptly pulled out a book from his bag and started to read. It wasn't until an hour later when he noticed a presence standing on the opposite side of the table, causing Alec to look up. It was Magnus. 

"May I join you, Alexander," Magnus asked and waited for Alec to respond. He didn’t want to intrude if the other didn’t want him there. 

Being called ‘Alexander’ caught him by surprise, so he gestured to the chair and watched Magnus as he sat down. "No one calls me, Alexander," Alec said as soon as Magnus sat down and seemed comfortable. 

"Until now," Magnus responded. "So is black coffee a choice or something that’s pushed upon you?"

"What?"Alec responded.

Magnus pointed at Alec's cup and wrinkled his nose in disgust as if he could taste it. "Black coffee." 

"It's...a choice," Alec said, looking curiously at Magnus. 

"Weird choice, Alexander. No one drinks black coffee unless…"

"...unless they are psychopaths." Alec finished. "You know that holds no merits, right?" 

Magnus laughed. "Who knows it could be true." 

"Let me guess you like those overly sweet drinks, or maybe you prefer something like teas." Alec jokingly said but curious about Magnus’s response.

"I'm more of a tea drinker, but I do enjoy a good mocha every once in a while." Magnus laughed. 

"You know, Alexander," Magnus began to say until he heard the door opening. He looked behind him to see a few people walk it. "Well, I guess I need to get back to work." Magnus moved to get up and started to walk away. 

"Wait," Alec called out, getting Magnus’s attention and trying to figure out what to say.

Magnus turned around with a smirk on his face waiting to see if Alec wanted to say more, but nothing came. "I’ll see you around, handsome," Magnus said instead and continued walking to assist the new customers.

Alec was left speechless. 

*

Since that encounter at the coffee house, Alec hasn't seen Magnus at all on-campus, which probably has to do because of finals week, but he hasn't visited the coffee house either. There just wasn’t time due to meeting with advisors and spending time at the library for his research assignment. But now it's Saturday, and Alec has a bit of time. After all, it's been a week since he saw the barista but didn’t want to show up to see Magnus. So he told himself he was going to read and have a nice cup of coffee. 

Once again, as Alec walked inside, instantly met with the bold smell of ground coffee beans and the warm scent of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. The only difference from last time was Magnus was not behind the counter. Not wanting to look like a fool, he approached the counter and quickly placed and paid for his order and grabbed the same table at the back. 

For the first 5 minutes, Alec kept looking over at the direction of the counter, hoping to see Magnus but nothing. It felt a bit stalkerish, so instead, he pulled out a book from his bag to read. Two hours passed, and Alec decided to call it quits. He went to pack up his things until someone pushed a cup of black coffee in front of him. 

"Leaving already, Alexander?" Magnus smiled, looking down at the book Alec was reading. “Kokoro,” Magnus questioned. “I didn’t pin you as a man that likes novels that deal with one’s loneliness in the world.”

Alec looked up and smiled while gesturing to Magnus to sit down. “You read Kokoro?” 

"Of course. It’s a classic that I think everyone should read," Magnus said as he sat down, pushing Alec's coffee more towards him. "What’s not to like about reading about loneliness and the feeling of isolation? Yes, of course, it takes place in a different culture but doesn't everyone feel like that at some point? The book gets a bit dark, but it’s representative of what people could feel, and I love how one could relate to the characters." 

Alec nodded in agreement and picked up the cup to take a sip. It is one of Alec’s favorite books, and not many people like the book, so he was surprised that Magnus read it. “It’s one of my favorite books. As you said, what’s not to like about it. The depth of the characters makes you wonder about your placement in the world, and I feel everyone can relate.” There are other reasons why this book resonated with him, and he could see the same with Magnus.

"So Alexander," Magnus began wanting to change the subject seeing the distant look in Alec’s eyes that’s probably reflected in his own, "what brings you here again on a Saturday morning?"

"Do you want the honest answer or the made-up one," Alec laughed. He was thankful for the change.

“How about both.” Magnus smiled and relaxed a bit.

“Well,” Alec laughed. “The honest answer is I wanted to see you. The made-up one is, I wanted a good cup of coffee to drink while I reread this book.”

"So tall, dark, and handsome wanted to see me again,” Magnus smirked.

“Tall, dark, and handsome,” Alec repeated quietly. "Do you flirt with everyone?" 

"Am I flirting with you, Alexander?" Magnus countered, watching Alec closely. 

"Stop being coy," Alec laughed, feeling his face heat up with Magnus watching him closely. To distract himself, he went to drink more of his coffee. 

Magnus smiled, seeing Alec become all flustered. It was never his intent to make Alec blush, but he came to like this flustered look upon Alec's face. Seeing Alec all flustered and flirting back made his heart beat a bit faster. It's been a while since he felt this kind of connection with someone, and he hoped Alec thought it too. It was something he wanted to explore. 

"So Alexander," Magnus started with a nervous tone but tried to keep up the flirtiness. "I feel like you are very limited on different selections of coffee drinks. As a barista, I feel I must change that. Would you like to come by tonight and I can introduce you to a world of coffee outside of black coffee." 

Alec could hear the nervous tone in Magnus’s voice and smile. "Are you asking me on a date, Magnus?" 

"It depends. Do you want it to be a date?" Magnus questioned.

"Yes," Alec said with a bright smile.

"Then it's a date." Magnus smiled. "Unfortunately, I need to get back to work but come by around 8 pm. We close at 8:30; you don’t mind waiting, do you?" 

"Would that be okay," Alec asked.

"Of course. I know the owner. Luke wouldn't mind." Magnus smiled and got up to get back to work. 

"So, I’ll see you tonight, then?” Alec spoke before Magnus walked away. 

"Looking forward to it, handsome." Magnus smiled. 

*

Alec arrived at 8 pm and waved to Magnus before taking a seat at his usual table. He watched as Magnus took care of a few remaining customers. He observed how comfortable Magnus was around people; kind and very open. It was something that Alec admired about the other. It was 8:30 when the last customer left, and Alec watched Magnus practically run to the door to lock it and flip the sign to read “closed.”

“Just give me a few minutes to clean up and prepare your drinks.” Magnus partially yelled from behind the counter. 

Shaking his head, Alec got up from his seat and walked over to where Magnus was at. “Do you need help?”

“It shouldn’t take long. I have to place the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down the counters.”

“If you’re sure,” Alec shrugged. “If you don’t need help cleaning, can I at least sit here and watch you as you make the drinks?”

Magnus nodded and left to go into the back to place the dishes in the dishwasher. When he came back, he had a cleaner in his hand and started to wipe down the counters and went out to wipe down the tables. Maia was lovely enough to sweep the floors before leaving, so he didn’t have to do that. About 20 minutes later, Magnus finished. He walked back past Alec, slightly bumping into the other, causing Alec to smile and continued his way to the back. He placed the cleaning supplies away and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. When that was all said and done, he grabbed some clean cups, placed them on a tray, and brought them out to where Alec was sitting. 

“That was quick,” Alec said once Magnus reappeared with a tray of cups. 

“Well, I may have had some help with the cleaning before you arrived,” Magnus stated. “Maia helped.” 

“Wait. Maia? As in Maia Roberts, who’s dating my sister?” Alec questioned. 

“Is your sister Isabelle?” Magnus asked, looking at Alec. He met Isabelle once, but now he could see the sibling resemblance. 

“Yes. Izzy told me Maia worked at a coffee house, but I didn’t know it was this one.” Alec said, now connecting the dots. He told Izzy that he had a date with Magnus, and she was very cryptic about a lot of things, and now he knows. 

“Well, what a small world,” Magnus laughed and started to prepare the different drinks. 

Alec watched as Magnus quickly made the drinks without even thinking about it. It was like it was all muscle memory that it just came easy. Magnus moved around the counter with grace and grabbed things he needed without even looking at the labels. He was confused when Magnus grabbed a bottle of whisky from under the counter, but he was sure Magnus had his reasons. After a good 10 minutes, there was a tray with five different cups of coffee in front of him. 

“Wow,” Alec whispered under his breath. “What kind are these?”

“This one,” Magnus spoke as he grabbed and handed the cup to Alec, “is called a Vienna coffee. It is espresso topped with whipped cream.” 

Alec took the cup and slowly took a sip. It was slightly sweet until he drank some of the espressos. It was good. It was still close enough to a regular black coffee but more robust with a hint of sweetness due to the shipped cream. 

Magnus watched as Alec took a sip, trying to judge if Alec would like it. He wanted to keep it similar to Alec’s coffee preference. After a few seconds of Alec trying the drink, he could tell that the other liked it. 

“It’s good,” Alec said as he went to take another sip of the drink. However, this time he could feel that he had a bit of whipped cream on his lips, but before he could wipe it away, Magnus reached out and caused him to blush at the direct contact. “Thank you,” Alec said shyly. 

Magnus smiled and handed Alec the next drink. “This one is a caffe latte. It is one-third espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam.” 

Like with the previous one, Alec accepted the drink and took a sip. This one tasted more plain black coffee but also a bit strong due to it being espresso. “This one is also good, it lacks the sweetness of the last one, but it’s not as bitter as black coffee.” 

“Great! The next one,” Magnus said, handing Alec another cup, “is an Irish coffee. It is part espresso, whisky, topped with whipped cream.” 

“So that is why you took out the whisky,” Alec said out loud but mostly to himself. 

“Why else would I have whisky at a coffee house,” Magnus questioned in a flirty tone. 

Alec laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “It could have been for any reason.”

“Just try the drink, handsome.” 

“Bossy,” Alec said and tried the drink. This one Alec liked. He liked the hint of sweetness from the whipped cream, the slight burn from the whisky, and the kick from the espresso. “This is a drink I could get used to.”

“It’s one of my favorites and not too common, so I don’t make it much, but whisky is one of my favorite drinks, so I like it.” 

“Well, it's good, so maybe when I come from now on, I’ll order it. What’s next?” Alec asked, placing the cup down. 

“This is an americano.” Magnus handed the cup to Alec. “I am not sure if you would like this one. I feel it is an acquired taste. It is one-third espresso topped off with water.” 

Alec scrunched his nose at the drink but took a sip nonetheless, realizing Magnus was right. He didn’t like this one at all. It felt watered down with a blurry taste of espresso left out too long and became stale. 

Magnus laughed at Alec's adorable scrunch of his nose. He knew that Alec wasn’t going to like this drink. “That bad?” 

Alec went to grab one of the previous drinks to wash the taste out of his mouth. “You knew it would be,” Alec accused Magnus, but there was no hint of being mad to his tone. 

“Well,” Magnus laughed, “I could have been wrong. After all, you like black coffee.”

“Black coffee goes down much smoother than whatever that was,” Alec said with disgust. 

“If you say so handsome.” Magnus grabbed the last cup and handed it to Alec. “This one is a mocha. Another I like. It is espresso, chocolate, steamed milk, topped with whipped cream.” 

Alec took the last cup and hoped that it's much better than the previous one. He immediately noticed the drink’s sweetness and the slight bitterness of the chocolate and espresso taking a sip. It was good but a bit too sweet for him. 

“No?” Magnus questioned. He knew that this one could go either way. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Alec started. “It’s good, but it’s a bit too sweet for me, I think.” 

“Well, I expected that since you drink black coffee.” Magnus took the cup and placed it on the tray before walking to the back to put it in the dishwasher. Once back, he quickly cleaned the machine and brought over a bar stool to sit opposite Alec. “So what do you think? Have I convinced you to try different coffees?”

“Well, if you are making them, I could be convinced to change my ways,” Alec said with a bit of flirting in his tone.

“Could you now,” Magnus responded, keeping up with Alec’s flirting. “Well, how about I close up, and we can continue this date elsewhere.” Magnus didn’t want the night to end just yet. “There’s a nice park not too far from his that has a beautiful light display. Plus, I think there’s a small music festival going on.” 

“I would be happy too.” Alec smiled, forever thanking his love for black coffee in his mind.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
